These egg bites started as a lighter, meal-prep-friendly spin on one of my favorite egg casseroles. I grew up eating these Chili Cheese Souffle Squares, and for many years now I’ve been telling people “trust me and just put cottage cheese in your eggs!” And now, everyone is putting cottage cheese in eggs! It really does produce a dreamy rich texture that’s especially great with eggs.
For this recipe, I wanted something that was easy to make, and also stored well so I could pop them in the fridge for easy mornings. It was important that they tasted amazing and indulgent, but were also relatively healthy to fuel us. These are now a staple at our house. They reheat well so I keep a container in the fridge and my boys request a refill when they’re gone. A few very intentional steps create the most dreamy custardy texture and I think you’ll love them! You can eat them plain, or smash them on a piece of toast (my favorite) or in an English muffin like a sandwich. They also happen to have great macros, if that’s important to you. I use a combination of eggs and egg whites for a protein boost (see more info on that below the photo) but you can always sub whole eggs if you like.
How do you know if something is high protein?
Something frustrating to me on social media is influencers marketing their food creations as “high protein” when really they just…contain protein. Just because you add chicken or cottage cheese to something, it doesn’t automatically make it “high protein.” Professional marketers do it as well and you’ll see fancy labels that don’t really mean anything.
So how can you tell? A good rule of thumb when looking at a nutrition label is to check the percentage of protein relative to the total calories. For example, 10 or more grams of protein per 100 calories, or roughly 40% or more of the calories coming from protein.
I worked really hard to get these little bites into high protein territory, while not sacrificing flavor or texture. They ring in at just 63 calories each, with 7g protein. That means these little powerhouse bites are 44% protein and a few of them together make a great meal or snack that will keep you full.
Ingredients Needed for Chili Cheese Egg Bites
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Eggs
- Egg Whites – If you’d like to skip the egg whites and use whole eggs, you can sub 3 whole eggs for the egg whites.
- Cottage Cheese – I use low-fat cottage cheese, but any cottage cheese will work. Many brands have different consistencies and textures so depending on the brand the finished egg bite texture might vary (but always delish!)
- Pepper Jack Cheese – you are welcome to sub regular jack cheese here, but pepper jack gives a lot of flavor. I don’t like spicy things, and it’s not spicy- just flavorful!
- Dry Mustard – one of my favorite spices with eggs
- Salt
- Onion Powder
- Canned Mild Green Chilis
How to Make Egg Bites
Each step here is intentional. I’ve tested these so many times and found little tips and tricks that help! For example, mixing this whole recipe in the blender (which seams logical) added too much air and created a frothy mixture. So instead, we blend the cottage cheese with enough egg whites to create a smooth mixture and then whisk everything together.
Adding the cheese and chilis to the egg mixture caused uneven amounts to land in each muffin cup, so we put those in separately.
And the water bath? It really does create the silkiest most tender texture! You can definitely bake them without the water bath, but they come out a little more dense.
- Place cottage cheese in the blender with about 1/4 cup of your egg whites and blend until smooth. If you need more egg whites to get the blender to process, feel free to add a little more. Pour this mixture into a mixing bowl.
- Add remaining egg whites, whole eggs, and seasonings and whisk to combine.
- Divide shredded cheese and green chilis in each muffin well and then pour the egg mixture on top. Mix each well real quick to distribute the cheese and chilis.
- Place egg pan inside of a larger pan and fill the outside pan with hot water at least half way up the egg pan.
- Bake and either serve warm or let cool and store.
In this photo below, you can see I left chilis out of one so you can really see the soft silky texture of the egg!
Storing and Other Tips
- Fridge – Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Warm in the microwave to re-heat.
- Freezer – These freeze fairly well too! I prefer thawing in the fridge first and then re-heating in the microwave, but you can also microwave from frozen. It might take a little trial and error since all microwaves are different. I usually do 1 minute and half power and then full power until heated through.
Frequently Asked Questions
I’ve tested the ratio of eggs + egg whites and landed on this recipe as the threshold of how much egg whites you can get away with before losing overall texture and flavor. You are welcome to experiment yourself, but I did not enjoy them with more egg whites.
Most likely they are underbaked or have too much liquid. Make sure to drain the green chilis well, and bake until set on top and slightly puffed (just barely starting to turn golden). Some brands of cottage cheese can be incredibly watery as well.
Yes. Let them cool completely, then freeze in an airtight container. Reheat from froen or thaw overnight in the fridge.
Helpful Tools
Two things that I use a lot in my kitchen, and are particularly helpful in this recipe:
- Glass Mixing Bowl with Spout – This might be THE most used item in my kitchen. It’s by Anchor Hocking, so it’s super well made and sturdy. Microwave-safe, perfect size for batters, mixes, and liquids. I literally use it daily.
- Silicone Muffin Tray – I literally will not make egg muffins without a silicone tray, it’s just too iffy! This one is great because it has a strong metal frame so it’s easy to pick up and nothing buckles and spills. It also has a really nice slick internal surface so the eggs literally jut pop right out.
- A Good Whisk – this is my favorite large whisk.
Green Chili Cheese Egg Bites
Ingredients
- ¾ cup shredded pepper jack cheese (about 2 oz)
- 4 oz can mild green chilis
- 1 cup low fat cottage cheese
- ¾ cup egg whites, divided I use egg whites from a carton. If you'd like to sub, use 3 whole eggs.
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325℉. Place a silicone muffin pan into a slightly larger pan that you can fill with water for a water bath.
- Divide cheese evenly between each of 12 muffin wells. Open can of green chilis and place in a strainer to drain off liquid. Continue with recipe while those drain.
- Place cottage cheese and 1/4 cup of the egg whites in the blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a mixing bowl, preferably one with a spout. Add remaining ½ cup egg whites, whole eggs, dry mustard, onion powder and salt and whisk until smooth. Note: If you really don't don't want to dirty another dish and you're going to ignore me and just add the eggs and seasonings to the blender, just don't over-blend 🙂 Blend on low speed, only until mixed.
- Divide the green chilis evenly into the muffin pan with the cheese.
- Whisk egg mixture one more time and then immediately pour into muffin cups. Use a chopstick or a small spoon to gently stir each cup and distribute the cheese and chilis.
- Place the pan in the pre-heated oven and carefully pour hot water (I use my electric kettle) into the outer pan so it reaches at least half way up the egg pan.
- Cook until the tops of the egg bites puff into very slight domes, about 30 minutes.
Notes
Storage
- Fridge – Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Warm in the microwave to re-heat.
- Freezer – These freeze pretty well too! I prefer thawing in the fridge first and then re-heating in the microwave, but you can also microwave from frozen. It might take a little trial and error since all microwaves are different. I usually do 1 minute and half power and then full power until heated through.
Questions & Reviews
I’m wondering if you have ever tried making this like a mini version of your overnight sausage egg casserole? I’m thinking a few shredded hashbrowns on the bottom, a little bit of cooked sausage (more protein!), and then adding the cheese and egg mixture. I love the casserole, but it is only made on Christmas each year at our house. Seems like a way I could love it year round.
Hi Shannon! OBB editor here. We’ve not made that one into egg bites like this, but it should work just fine! That casserole has worked well in different sized baking dishes for me and freezes/thaws well after baking. Potato shreds do work, although I personally prefer the flavor of bread in that one. I’d actually like to try making it that way with some cubed sourdough bread, almost like little bread pudding style cups!